A couple of hours after Dan Patrick first reported on his radio show that a change was coming in Baltimore, several reports emerged that Cameron had been fired. Cameron later confirmed to ABC 2 in Baltimore that the Ravens had let him go, while ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell had been installed as the new offensive coordinator.

It’s rare for a team that’s heading for the playoffs to make a major shakeup on its coaching staff with just three weeks to go in the regular season. But the Ravens, who started the season 9-2, apparently felt that they needed to make a change after back-to-back losses.

Cameron has been the Ravens’ offensive coordinator since 2008, when he got the job following his one season as head coach of the Dolphins. Caldwell was hired as quarterbacks coach this year after being fired as head coach of the Colts.

100 wins in 9+ seasons as NFL offensive coordinator. Two Pro Bowl QBs. Four Pro Bowl RBs. A dropped pass away from a Super Bowl trip last year. He isn’t perfect but a lot of people would like to have that resume.

This was needed. Next on the hot seat is flacco. Wish we didn’t need to make moves like this during the season but now is the time for flacco to show whether we pay him or not this offseason. Best of luck to all.

Interested in what changes in scheme this may bring for the Ravens. Obviously when he was in Indianapolis he had a HOF QB to work with and was able to put together a consistently strong passing offense.

Given the primary perceived deficiency in Cam’s offense was not getting Ray Rice enough touches (especially in space) I have to imagine that will be priority numero uno for Mr. Caldwell.

Flipper you keep referring to his record like the offense carried the team every year. Tell me, if the chargers had the defense we had the past 5 years would norvs record be much better and would we all be calling for his head still?

Jim Caldwell today Promoted Curtis Painter to Quarterback saying the team needed a “Veteran” presence in running a team into the ground. His ball handling abilities are second to none.

passthepeppa says:Dec 10, 2012 11:49 AM

is there a more generic team in the NFL than the ravens?? and they wear purple!

FinFan68 says:Dec 10, 2012 11:49 AM

Look at the picture. That guy just seems clueless. He was clueless in Indy and it showed every time he opened his mouth. I don’t see how this works out well unless it has something to do with Flacco and his contract issues. Cameron had some head scratching calls but all OCs do. He should have used Rice more but how much of that is Flacco changing the plays?

zaggs says:Dec 10, 2012 11:50 AM

Maybe they should look at Mr. “Top 5″ Flacco.

bmoreballers says:Dec 10, 2012 11:53 AM

This needed to be done, whether this makes us better or not. We’ll find out if it was cam or joe in these crucial 3 games. Careful what you wish for though cause Caldwell has never been a OC

rivercitydawg says:Dec 10, 2012 11:53 AM

Doesn’t bode well for the Baltimore Ratbirds. When was the last time that ANY team went deep into the playoffs after firing an offensive coordinator 13 games into the season?

This firing is overdue, but the Ravens’ chances of winning a Super Bowl are officially gone.

History shows that when teams change the offensive scheme and/or Coordinator during or the next season they do not go to the Super Bowl.

Since 2003 this has been the case and since 2007 when teams have a QB and/or head coach that have won at least 1 playoff game in a prior season they go to the Super Bowl.

The Ravens’ chances of going to SB 48 next year will be better with Caldwell as the OC.

andrewluckdontgiveawhat says:Dec 10, 2012 11:55 AM

The Ravens offense must be in shambles. Caldwell was a puppet here in Indianapolis. Peyton Manning was the real OC after Tom Moore left. This reeks of desperation. This move blows my mind. Cam Cameron must’ve slept with Harbaugh’s wife or something.

ravensrooster94 says:Dec 10, 2012 11:55 AM

Many fans (including me) have been calling for this move for years. Much was expected from Cameron, coming as he need with a lot of cred from his Charger O.C. days but he couldn’t deliver what was expected. His play calling has befuddled many a Ravens fan.

When the Ravens hired Jim Caldwell in the off season, I knew he was the O.C. in waiting.

Now….Joe Flacco can’t hide behind the play calling anymore and if he want’s that big contract extension next year, he has to step it up in a big way.

Finally, I know Flacco hasn’t been happy with the play calling and game management. I’m just wondering….if he had any input into this move?

This is fortuitous for Norv and Cam. They worked well together in San Diego. That chemistry will be a great bond for them while they both stand in line at the unemployment office and will be able to compare notes while updating their resumes on how to explain they were a failure at their last few jobs.
Or just have George O Leary write the resumes for them and take a long lunch.

vietnambob2473 says:Dec 10, 2012 11:57 AM

Oh I get it, cam Cameron was the one who gave up 34 points yesterday, gotcha

Flipper you keep referring to his record like the offense carried the team every year. Tell me, if the chargers had the defense we had the past 5 years would norvs record be much better and would we all be calling for his head still?

_________________________

No, I’m not saying his offense carried the team in Baltimore. However, in his 10 seasons as an NFL coordinator his offenses have ranked first in scoring once, ranked in the top five three times, and have been in the top half in 9 of this 10 seasons. Jon Gruden, in his 12 seasons, has seen his offenses in the top HALF in scoring only four times in 12 years.

The problem is Flacco – his contract would be a huge hit to the Ravens and would marry them another 4-6 years with Salary cap implications. Cam would have been fired at the end of the season and Flacco would play 2013 under the franchise tag and a new OC. Would be shrewd front office move – their hand was forced by Flacco’s play this season.

Now they get another year to ask the real Joe Flacco to please stand up.

seamhereseamthere says:Dec 10, 2012 12:03 PM

This hardly resembles the kind of moves Super Bowl winners make.

What I remember from Caldwell during his time as head coach is not impressive.

Pretty easy to see where Dan Patrick/PFT got their “scoops”. Caldwell called his NFL sponsor Dungy with the good news and Dungy told his co-workers last night while they were all hanging around at 30 Rock.

The Ravens are awful on the road against halfway decent D’s running Cameron’s idiot vertical passes when they should just be pounding the rock w Rice. They only put up 9 pts vs KC.

Losing to a beat up PIT team at home w Charlie Batch at QB likely was the last straw. Up 10 pts, idiot Cameron kept calling pass plays vs letting Rice chew up clock and they kept giving the ball back until they lost.

jagsfan1 says:Dec 10, 2012 12:04 PM

Cam Cameron was horrible….but Jim Caldwell is cut from the same mold. He will be lousy in his own way.

Cameron needed to go – but they can do better than Caldwell as a permanent replacement.

The loss yesterday was not really Cam Cameron’s “fault”. It was a classic bad second half of offense, which I would attribute partly to Cam though.

But when Kirk Cousins and Charlie Batch can beat this offense is successive weeks . . . what happens when the Manning Bros come to town?

The problem is, there isn’t a move to be made on defense. The defense is injury riddled. Webb, Suggs, Lewis, Smith, Ngata, McBean, Ellerbe, etc etc

That isn’t Pees fault. And there isn’t a suitable replacement for Pees in building anyway.

jgedgar70 says:Dec 10, 2012 12:09 PM

First time I ever saw Caldwell was in ’93. Wake Forest had just went to a bowl in ’92 for the first time in like 100 years, Bill Dooley retired as coach, and Caldwell was hired. Wake immediately went back into the toilet, and stayed there until Jim Grobe was hired, at which point they began going to bowl games most of the time. Next time I see Caldwell, he is getting the Colts gig when Dungy retires. Colts start 13-0 in ’09 and Caldwell pulls the plug. Says he agrees with his GM that going 16-0 is an illegitimate goal.

That’s a long-winded way of saying that Caldwell has never displayed any real ability to have a positive impact on a football team on which he coaches. Good luck Ravens; you’re gonna need it.

shlort says:Dec 10, 2012 12:11 PM

Harbaugh musta had some sort of stink wth Camron.

The Ravens’ problem isnt the OC, it is the QB. The days of the “Game Manage” under center are over. It was a brief experimen, but an exeriment based on luck.

Here s an idea. Get a QB who is consistent. A good QB makes coaches look genius.

You know, I can understand wanting to fire him for his vanilla play calling, but I guarantee a lot of those plays was Flacco changing the play into a pass. No sympathy here, sorry. Your head coach should step in and alter the play calling based on what he likes and is working. Or giving them the best chance to win. That’s on Harbaugh.

nattypoes says:Dec 10, 2012 12:11 PM

This is the kind of news that just makes you wanna hug your neighbor. What a joyous day!!!!! Glad that nightmare is over!!!

Honestly we get a chance to find the answer to the offensive questions weve had for years.
Its a contract year for joe. If the offense turns around and goes on a run( Giant,Broncos,Bengals) Then you can justify joes contract.
If the offense plows into the rocks then that adds leverage to the ravens.

Its a smart move. By a organization that doesn make too many wrong ones.

vikesfansteve says:Dec 10, 2012 12:12 PM

You only scored 28! Can em. Baltimore’s problem has been their D not holding leads. The Ravens put up 50 a couple weeks ago. Lee Evans dropped their SB appearance last year. Instead of calling timeout or taking the 5 yd penalty they rush their kicker into a missed FG. None of this is the OC’s fault. The Vikings would kill to put up 50 or even 28 each week. Come to MN Cam.

ravensgrl says:Dec 10, 2012 12:14 PM

Harbaugh was going after Cam at one point in the game yesterday… not sure what that was for, but it must’ve been the last straw for Harbaugh.

Easier to can Cameron than Flacco, especially since Cameron has a long and illustrious career of mostly mediocre offense, and has seen several QBs flourish after leaving his system. This is the right move for now. Flacco should get nothing more than a contract where the team can opt out after next year. I don’t think he really deserves more than that headed into his sixth year.

You can’t say, Flacco just wins games, or look how close they came with Cameron, because if you watched the games and you look at the stats it’s pretty obvious that the Ravens’ defense has carried the bulk of responsibility for the wins earned during the Harbaugh/Flacco years.

Doesn’t mean a good offense isn’t possible, especially now, but I thought that either Flacco or Cameron needed to be switched in order to get some clarity on where the problem lies. Like I said, canning a hack coordinator is a better first move than throwing out a QB who is inconsistent, but still relatively young.

Let Flacco call the plays. This is his 5th year in this offense. He knows the playbook, he knows what does/does not work for him, and he knows he’s a better passer when they commit to giving Rice the ball 25 times per game. Let Joe show what Joe can do and then they can decide how much he gets paid.

Cameron was creative his first year and it worked. Flacco caught a 29 yard pass. They did a flea flicker for a touchdown. Then it was straight vanilla for 2 years with the occasional failed double reverse. Last year the no-huddle hurry up worked well for a stretch, then they went vanilla again even though Flacco is more comfortable in the no-huddle and has time to adjust protection at the line. When they huddle they walk to the line with 10 seconds left on the play clock, take 5 seconds to get set, glance at the defense and snap the ball.

chb74 says:Dec 10, 2012 12:39 PM

I’m honestly still not even convinced that Jim Caldwell is alive, let alone equipped to serve a major role on a football team. He’s yet another guy who was graced with an elite QB that made him look far, far better than he actually is. I think anyone looking for him to be some sort of savior in Baltimore is in for a disappointment.

A much needed change, though it would have been nice had this happened prior to the season.

I’m interested to see how Caldwell handles the offensive, especially after inheriting arguably the best quarterback of all-time(Peyton) and a very good team in the Colts.

Needless to say Flacco needs to step up if he wants to earn his keep. I think we should finish out the season and then franchise Flacco. Give him one year to prove himself as a capable quarterback who can lead his team to the Super Bowl.

I think while we take a look at Flacco in his one year tryout that we also take a look at Harbaugh and give him one more year to prove that he is able to lead this team. I worry that his background in Special Teams has hurt the team while having Cameron as Offensive Coordinator. I think that his limited background has led to him overlooking the abysmal play-calling that us fans have had to sit through on numerous occasions. It has been well-documented how easy Cameron’s schemes are to prepare and defend yet until today, we have not seen one change to alter this in a positive way.

I wish Jim Caldwell all the best in his campaign as OC and hope that he has seen enough incomplete passes of over 40 yards that he safely eliminates 5 or 6 incomplete passes a game and focuses on getting Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce amble touches to offset the sub-par defense we have. The team will have better success if we can keep our defense off the field by sustaining long drives that utilize our RB’s and milk the clock.

Got no beef with the Ravens, but this move is curious. Can’t recall ever seeing a team inches away from a playoff berth and/or division title firing their offensive coordinator after a 2-game losing skid. Reeks of panic to me.

As a Ravens fan, it has been far too long to watch Cameron and Flacco together. You can’t fire Flacco right now, so here’s the next best thing.

I don’t think Caldwell will do much worse, but I will be shocked if this makes Flacco any better. The Ravens have kept adding offensive weapons around Flacco, have very few offensive injuries (with a boatload on D), and no improvement. This was a long time coming, just wish they did it before the season.

Glad to see Cameron finally go.
But the timing is odd.
It’s not like they can retool the offense overnight.
That is something best done in the offseason

sportfandc says:Dec 10, 2012 12:54 PM

The Ravens’ defense is at least as big a problem.

Was it Cameron’s or Harbaugh’s decision to not go for 2 points after they scored their final touchdown? That’s a big reason they lost the game. (2 points would have put them up by 9, not a tie-able

steelerfansareretards says:Dec 10, 2012 12:55 PM

vikingsvoice says: Dec 10, 2012 11:42 AM

Ravens just boosted their chance at playoff success dramatically. Cameron has absolutely held that offense back with frequently curious playcalling.
————————————————————-

You absolutely hit the nail on the head. If you take a step back, the Ravens O has never been horrible and Cam has a very good resume. But over the past 3 years Cam has killed the Ravens with head scratching playcalling.

The game plan changed from game to game. First they were a no huddle spread pass team. Then they were a run heavy team. Then they were a run first to set up the play action team. Take yesterday’s game for example. The Ravens were running all over the Redskins yet they ran only 1 or 2 play action passes.

Cam also had a tendency to call the same 5 plays over and over — run first down, run second down, fade patters on third down from shotgun.

At the very least, I think you’ll see some type of identity from this team which is something they haven’t had in years.

This is a move of desperation. Deep down everyone knows the Ratbirds are a .500 team. This is a team that will be one and out in the playoff’s and have to realize their elite QB Flukeoo is not the QB of the future. For that matter this team is ready to implode.

I’ll take the core group of players the Brownstains have over this group for the future.

Baltimore – you deserve this implosion.

Cereal says:Dec 10, 2012 1:01 PM

Tall order for Caldwell Wk1 on the job with Von Miller & the Broncs coming to town

They put up 28 points on the road in Washington and fire Cameron. Go figure. One thing we do know is that the Harbaugh brothers have huge egos and that Caldwell is a figurehead and Harbaugh is really taking control of the offense for himself.

All of those years they had a great defense and a crappy offense. Now they have a decent offense and their defense is getting old. They can thank Evans and Cundiff for not taking advantage of the Ravens’ short window being open. The current team looks to be an 11-5 team, at best, assuming they can beat either Denver or NY Giants.

This is not any sort of knee-jerk firing by the Ravens. This has been building steadily over the last two years. The offense would go on long scoreless droughts that would last 5,6 or 7 quarters at a time. There were too many times over the last few years where a third and short would ice a game – e.g. a QB sneak or Rice behind Leach behind Yanda and Cameron would call a pass play or pitch wide. There was way too much inconsistency game to game and half-to half and no adjustments made. Flacco was lighting up the Skins secondary in the first half, and they only put up 7 in the second half and really looked ragged offensively. It was an old movie. I really think a new perspective and play calling rhythm was needed. I like the move.

Harbaugh has had a loaded Ravens team for some time now. Yea, they were one dropped pass from the Super Bowl, only problem is a year later and they are still running around mentioning it. Cam Cameron has been the weak link on that team for years now. Makes me question Harbaugh and what might have taken him so long…Cam has been suspect ever since leaving Miami and him drafting Ted Ginn and Ginn’s family. You have to have a “mad scientist” type of OC these days, Cam just looked “mad” without the “scientist” part.

ahostiletakeover says:Dec 10, 2012 1:47 PM

This should have happened last year from a business perspective, regardless of how close they were to the big game. Then at least you have a year of Flacco under contract to truly evaluate him as a QB in a different system. Its not a coincidence that Brees and Rivers’ first four years with cam as their OC resulted in eerily similar stats to Flacco’s first 4 years. At worst, it should have happened after the Houston blowout (even though the points allowed might have led one to believe the defense was solely to blame, the offense’s putrid play in that game was just as much to blame) because then you at least get half a season to decide if Cameron was truly the problem. Now you have the potential of adding new plays and schemes with 3 weeks left in the regular season and a very small sample to look at Flacco before he becomes a free agent. If I’m the owner, no matter good or bad Flacco is in these 3 games, its not enough of a sample to say in the offseason “I’m going to resign/ not going to resign this player.” As a Ravens fan I love the move itself, it was just the worst possible time and makes me think “too little, too late.” They probably would have been better served just waiting until the season is over to fire him at this point…

For those who do not follow the Ravens this was a long time coming. If you had one of the best RBs in the league (Ray Rice) and he was not used one time in the 4th quarter against your arch rival (Steelers)…would you be fine with your Coordinator? Especially when that same scenario occurs several times a year?
Cam is so frustrting! Everytime you think they are going somewhere with no-huddles and a good game plans, he will instantly panic or flip-out and start throwing every down. It’s crazy. And he’s cold, stubborn, non-communicative, and wouldn’t have been here this long except for connections with the Harbaugh family. Don’t know that Caldwell is the final answer, but hopefully Harbs is taking control and will tell Jim what he wants. And Flacco will be better with an actual game plan, a running threat, and a faster game.
It was time for a shake up – and definitely past time for Cam to go!

Anyone that is NOT a Ravens fan has zero clue about any of this. You know what you are fed through the media. Desperation would be the Colts or the Steelers firing their OC. Cameron has been with the team 5 years. The Offense has been mediocre during this time, despite being on the cusp of five straight playoff berths (no other team can match that). Yet, everyone thinks they know. The sad thing as a Ravens fan is that this was a season and three quarters too late. They had a real shot last year with the talent, and a good OC may have made the difference.

Will they hire Zorn back as quaterbacks coach? Flacco did much, much better with him there.

yyyass says:Dec 10, 2012 3:16 PM

Thank God the Ravens are playing the Broncos next. Caldwell can just walk across the field and ask Manning what it was “they” used to do. The Ravens just paired Rip Van Caldwell with Sleepy the quarterback dwarf. A good time will be had by all.

It is interesting to read all of this, especially the number of times Ray Rice is mentioned. When they play the Steelers, I am always pleased that the Ravens under-use Rice. In fact, according to these comments, he is under-used a lot. Well, there is a reason that is seldom mentioned. Just look at the years a super RB has; it is unually limited to 2-4 at most. A singular exception was the “Bus”, but let’s not get into that. Just study the RB’s, and it appears to me the top management of the Ravens is trying to “save ” RR for more years than most running backs get. Now, don’t get excited and shout out those who have lasted longer; look at the overall. There is a limit.

johnnyhambone says:Dec 10, 2012 3:24 PM

don’t be surprised if harbaugh brings his old friend from philadelphia marty mornhinweg to baltimore to eventually be the offensive coordinator when caldwell fails miserably

jacktheraven says:Dec 10, 2012 3:40 PM

I didn’t know there was a problem. How many, 1st place by 2 games, 9-4 teams fire coaches and OC?

This has been four years coming. Any Ravens fan that isn’t happy today is very stupid person.

jimfix says:Dec 10, 2012 3:54 PM

it is absolutely baffling to me that so many ravens fans think that a 9-4 division leader and virtual playoff lock has problems enough that they need to fire their OC and bench their starting quarterback (who in 4 years holds almost every franchise passing record).

Ravens fan know that Cam isn’t the reason they couldn’t stop the Steelers or DC. But he COULD have gotten more points on the board and not put the game in Flacco’s hands to lose.
They are saving Rice to an extent…but that doesn’t mean that you don’t use him AT ALL in the 4th quarter against the Steelers. We should have controlled the game and the clock with the run. Then the Steelers would have had less time to take the game. Pretty basic stuff – and Cam just did not get it.
You don’t “save” your RB for the playoffs when you have a chance to knock out your biggest rival!!! Now, Rice may be so well rested that he’ll be watching the playoffs from his couch.

samarirolleout says:Dec 10, 2012 4:24 PM

This is a low risk/high reward move. There is only one scenario that the Ravens don’t make the playoffs at this point, and one of the three parts of that scenario involve a Steelers/Bengals tie when they play. Making this move now gives you the opportunity to see Joe under a different coordinator, see what Caldwell can do as coordinator, and gives you three games to work on how Caldwell wants to run this offense before the playoffs.

I’m not going to write Caldwell off just because he was a miserable HC. Plenty of guys are terrible HC’s but decent or better coordinators. Going to give him a chance and see what happens.

I was at the game yesterday and the flacco int was his fault good call poor QB execution. He held on to the ball too long got hit while throwing taking at least 3 off of the board. 5 WR means the ball has to come out quick. Ravens fans will shift blame to Flacco now. And is partly to blame

Caldwell gets the job because there isn’t anybody else that’s better to give it to. Just be glad he isn’t the one calling time-outs so the other team can have time to re-group (remember the Jets/Colts game?).
I read somewhere he’s never called plays at the pro level. I hope the Ravens implode like the Colts did last season.

steelersfanfromtheseventies says:Dec 10, 2012 6:08 PM

Whats the saying coaches coach players play?

Players still need to execute plays no matter what they are(no matter how head scratching they maybe)

steeldominance says:Dec 10, 2012 8:25 PM

Does it matter? If they make the playoffs, they are one and done. Flacco would look good in a Cards uniform. The Ravens are unraveling.

“gbeltonjr55 says:
Dec 10, 2012 4:37 PM
Maybe people should stop laying the blame on a coaching staff that has a pretty good record of success and place some blame on having the most overrated QB in the NFL?”

MOST OVERRATED QB IN THE NFL!? Hilarious. Flacco is incredibly underrated. He leads a comeback victory over the Patriots and people talk about the reffing. He throws for an almost perfect game against the Raiders with 341 yds and 3 TD’s and no one even talks about the game. He throws for 355 yards and a TD against the Chargers and leads a comeback victory and people just call the Ravens lucky. He throws 3 TD’s and tears up the Skins’ defense and is instead blamed for an interception that was tipped twice and was caught by a diving linebacker. He leads an artful comeback over the Patriots in the AFC Championship that his kicker and receiver give away and all anyone can talk about is Billy Cundiff. If anything, Flacco is underrated. People forget about his great games like they don’t happen and focus on his bad ones like that’s all he does. By the way? His 3 worst games this year (Steelers twice and Texans) were against top 5 defenses. But I’m sure those are the games you think of when you think of how good Flacco is, right? Come on. Give the man some credit. It’s amazing how quarterbacks like RG3 can get seemingly infinite praise for a pretty strong rookie season and how Flacco gets seemingly infinite criticism for a solid career and an outstanding playoff record.

While I agree with the people saying Peyton Manning deserves the lion share of the credit for the Colts offensive success but that isn’t a strike against Caldwell. Manning demands excellence from everyone hes involved with and if you think Caldwell didn’t have a big hand in working out that offense you’re missing the whole picture. Besides Cam Cameron had the worst play calling I’ve ever seen from any OC or HC, I would be astounded if Jim Caldwell was able to meet that high bar that cam set for awfulness.

johnnyblumpkin says:Dec 11, 2012 12:23 AM

Honestly, what else were the Ravens to do? You can’t fire Joe and if you got rid of him who would be his replacement? The college crop of QB’s sucks this year. Trade? Good luck with that. There aren’t 32 respectable QB’s in the league right now. Cam’s firing was a long time coming. Jim Caldwell is just a stop-gap through this season. There should be plenty of good OC’s hitting the street this off-season. I can think of two current head coaches (coaching out west) that will be looking for jobs come January.

iu40iu53iu76iu81iu87 says:Dec 11, 2012 9:19 PM

caldwell is a puppet. a bumbling buffoon imbecile who has no business being in the NFL whatsoever on any level, he isn’t qualified enough to hold a gatorade bottle on the sidelines let alone coach. just look at his picture, he is a straight up tool

I was at the Ravens vs Redskins game and what I saw was a Flacco ON his game. He made some great throws to go up at halftime. Though Rice didn’t seem to get the ball as much as pregame indicated he would, Pierce was tearing it up vs the ‘skins. I don’t understand why OC was fired except that maybe behind doors, he dissagreed with the coach irreconcilably.